{"id":9373,"date":"2020-03-27T13:50:09","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T13:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=9373"},"modified":"2022-04-10T12:31:35","modified_gmt":"2022-04-10T12:31:35","slug":"homeschooling-during-covid-19-how-one-family-is-doing-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/home-schooling\/homeschooling-during-covid-19-how-one-family-is-doing-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Homeschooling during COVID-19: how one family is doing it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since UK schools have closed and everyone has been advised to “stay home”, families across the UK are facing challenges that noone could’ve expected at the start of the year. Keeping your child’s education on track, managing their disappointment from exams being cancelled and avoiding cabin fever as a family are all hurdles that parents are facing at the moment. We spoke to Emma Bradley, parent, qualified teacher and founder of blog Emmaand3<\/a>, to find out how she’s guiding her three children through this tough time at home. Read her guest blog below for her experience so far and some expert advice on homeschooling.<\/p>\n

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  1. Everyone at home<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Cancelled GCSEs<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Primary teaching time<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. How to homeschool your kids during COVID-19<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. How online tuition helps<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Supporting your teen’s mental health during during lockdown<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. Everyone at home<\/h2>\n

    I don\u2019t think any of us could have imagined just how much things would change in the space of week. We went from questioning whether schools should shut in the face of Covid 19 to the dawning realisation that schools were shutting for 12 weeks. The fast pace of change is like nothing we could have predicted and many of us are feeling shell shocked and confused as to what we should be doing and when. In this post, I want to put some thoughts in place about where I am now and also explain what I am planning going forward.<\/p>\n

    I have three children, a second-year university student, a 16-year-old son who has just found out he won\u2019t be sitting GCSE exams and a 10-year-old daughter who I pulled out of school mid-week due to having asthma and other underlying health conditions. As a qualified teacher I am not worried about the teaching side of things. I know what I can do but realise that many won\u2019t feel so secure in home educating their children.<\/p>\n

    The university seems to be prepared and Chloe has already come home. Her lectures are available online and she has her assignments to do. I have some concerns over paying her accommodation despite not being there, I hope her landlords will at least reduce the fee as it is an all-in price and they aren\u2019t using any amenities like water, heating as they are not living there.<\/p>\n

    2. Cancelled GCSEs<\/h2>\n

    We learnt that GCSE\u2019s were cancelled as we listened to a daily briefing. I expected it but again hearing the words officially was something else. These young people have spent years being told how important their exams are. They have studied for years all culminating in GCSE exams that are now not taking place. The look of shock on my son\u2019s face was heartbreaking, the dawning realisation that they won\u2019t have the opportunity to prove themselves was beyond anything I\u2019ve witnessed in my years of working in Education. Yet it is not only the exams, but they also won\u2019t have the joy of a long summer with friends after months of exams. The prom\u2019s they have imagined and planned for won\u2019t take place. Instead, my son left school without any goodbyes, they didn\u2019t know that it was their last day. They left school at the end of the day and an email followed saying they were not to come in again. No shirt signing, no selfies and no opportunity to say goodbye to the teachers that have taught them for the past five years. The hashtag #Classof2020 has been really hard to read as parents and students share their thoughts.<\/p>\n

    3. Primary teaching time<\/h2>\n

    Erin is in year 5 and is also preparing for grammar entrance exams. This means that I can focus on the preparation for that and thankfully I already had a number of workbooks to work through with her. We are doing a mix of verbal, non-verbal reasoning, maths and comprehension. I am also compiling resources that we can use. I have been heartened to see how much is already available online including Twinkl, Scratch, Topmarks and more.<\/p>\n

    4. How to homeschool your kids during COVID-19<\/h2>\n